Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Niagara
Purple Eagle Treys Prove Lethal to Marshall Women, Fall 80-70
12/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2006
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NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - Niagara used a game-ending 15-0 run to upend the Marshall University women's basketball team 80-70 on Thursday at the Gallagher Center.
The Niagara perimeter game produced a season-high 13 three-pointers in a game that was closer than the final score indicated. Niagara senior guard Shaunna Ambrose scored a career-high 34 points, thanks in part to a career-best six 3-pointers (6-of-13). Two other Purple Eagles, Chantelle Wilson and Sara Prybyl, reached double-digits with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
Niagara (8-4) more than doubled its first-half point total in a high-scoring second half. The Purple Eagles came out of halftime on fire, with Ambrose opening up the scoring spree with a traditional three-point play. Niagara nailed three treys in the opening five-plus minutes, including a Wilson 3-pointer that gave NU its first lead of the game, 44-43, at 14:48.
Niagara, averaging 6.4 3-pointers per game entering the game, continued its good fortunes from beyond the arc by hitting four more treys in the next six minutes. The Herd, however, led by a determined Alyssa Hammond (Oak Hill, Ohio), would not let the game get out of control.
Hammond surpassed her previous career-high of 16 points with 21 points in the second half alone. She finished with a team-high 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
A Meg Withrow (Nitro, W.Va.) 3-pointer put Marshall (7-5) ahead 70-65 with 3:38 remaining, but the Herd would not manage another point the rest of the game. Niagara's game-ending 15-0 run was fueled by nine Ambrose points.
Modupe Ishola (Washington, D.C.), playing with four fouls late in the contest, still played a menacing game under the rim. The senior pulled down two offensive rebounds before sinking a jumper while getting fouled to put MU up 67-63.
Turnovers and too many wide open looks by NU proved to be Marshall's demise throughout the game and down the stretch.
Ishola, coming off a career-high 30 points on Tuesday, scored 21 points with 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Ten of Ishola's 13 boards were from the offensive glass.
Marshall (43.5 percent) actually shot a better percentage than Niagara (43.1) and pulled down more rebounds (44-29), but turnovers (21-13) and a huge 3-point differential (13-5) led to the Herd's fifth non-conference loss of the season.
NU's Michelle Manfredi tallied a career-high 14 rebounds with seven points.
Marshall led early in the contest, pulling ahead 11-4 on a Jill Justice (Lewisburg, W.Va.) 3-pointer at 15:13. Turnovers by MU allowed the Purple Eagles to slowly cut its deficit and eventually tie things up at 17-17 on an Ambrose trey with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Herd then methodically regained the lead thanks to a 6-0 run that included a Withrow steal and layin to go up 23-17. Jennifer McNamee answered with a 3-pointer, prompting the teams to trade baskets the rest of the half. Chantelle Handy (Durham, England) sank an open layup with 48 seconds left, but it was offset by a Sara Prybyl layin with just over 10 seconds remaining.
Marshall, which countered its 10 first-half turnovers with a 48.3 percent shooting clip, entered intermission up 31-26. Ishola carried the scoring load in the opening frame with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting - no other MU player had more than one field goal in the first half.
Hammond was called for an intentional foul two minutes into the game. The freshman gathered a defensive rebound and proceeded to pivot with her elbows up, striking Prybyl who then hit a pair of free throws for the Purple Eagles first two points of the game.
The Herd will take a week off for Christmas break before returning to action on Dec. 28 at Richmond.
